Matt's Inside Line: Scoop on NCIS, Once Upon a Time, Criminal Minds, Scandal, W13 and More

Is an NCIS agent out for blood? When will Scandal roll out the voting booths? Will Criminal Minds‘ Reid ever catch a break? What’s up with Once Upon a Time‘s new “prince”? Read on for answers to those questions plus teases from other shows.

NCIS| Now that we have a new, “out of this world” Mossad director in place — and given that the synopsis for the April 9 episode says, “Tony suspects that Ziva is planning a risky move to avenge her father’s death” — it looks like TV’s most watched drama is poised to pick up the thread of Eli David’s murder and his badass daughter’s calculated (proportional?) response. “I hope everyone’s ready, because the sprint to the end of season starts now,” showrunner Gary Glasberg affirms. “Ziva is about to uncover a clue trail that will lead straight to her father’s killer, put the integrity of the team at risk and bring her closer to Tony in ways we never saw coming.” Thus raising the burning question: Does the same clue trail lead to Cote de Pablo re-upping with NCIS, for Season 11…?

Scandal| If, especially ever since the 10-month time jump, you’ve wondered when ABC’s ultra-buzzy drama will need to uncork a re-election storyline (Defiance, we’re watching you!), I secured a firm answer from series creator Shonda Rhimes: “[Re-election] is pretty much whenever we need it to be.” (I have a funny definition of firm, yes.) Rhimes went on to more specifically say, “Technically, it’s probably another year away, based on the math of our show. But whenever we decide it needs to happen, it’ll happen.” What are your predictions, Gladiators? February sweeps 2014? Leading to a Season 3 cliffie?

Is Spencer Reid ever going to catch a break on Criminal Minds? There has got to be some happiness for him out there somewhere! –Diana
I hereby present a sliver of hope, courtesy of Shemar Moore, who fancies Morgan as Reid’s “big brother.” Currently still reeling from girlfriend Maeve’s cold-blooded murder, “Reid finds closure, but it’s tough,” Moore told me. “Hopefully, all of us in life have had that one love that got away but you still hold true, and you learn so much from and you become better because of it. So, yes, Reid’s cracked a bit, but he will not break. It’s a process, but you’ll have happy, goofy Einstein pretty boy Reid back in the saddle before the end of the season.”

Do you have any scoop on The Americans? I love that show! –Elena
If you are worried that FX’s drama, like its high-caliber cable brethren, is going to end its freshman run on May 1 with a humdinger of a bombshell that leaves you screaming at the TV and cursing every day until Season 2 arrives (in January 2014), don’t be. “I don’t think this is a show about cliffhangers or urgent plot devices,” EP Joel Fields tells us. “So where we look toward the end of the season is teasing where we may go with the characters and the relationships. But it’s not about some crazy plot twist or cliffhanger.”

I about died when I saw the beautiful Tom Ellis (The Fades, Merlin) in the Once Upon a Time promo. Do you have any scoop on his Robin Hood character? –Sandi
While Adam Horowitz says that Ellis is “amazing” in the role and Eddy Kitsis teases that he figures into “a very fun scene with Rumple,” the series’ creators stress that the Rumple/Belle-centric episode (airing April 21) will not also deep-dive into the Prince of Thieves’ backstory. “It’s done in the spirit of what we did a lot in Season 1 — bringing in a character and mashing him up with our story without having to do ‘the Robin Hood story,'” says Kitsis. “But now there is a character in our universe who, should the time arise, we would love to delve into further.”

We were given a hint about a connection between Once Upon a Time’s Neal and Hook in Neverland. Do you have any scoop about what their history might be? – Stef
I kinda sorta do, and I share it in the next episode of Spoiler Alert! But until that goes live, I can share that allll the dots will be connected in this season’s penultimate episode, “Second Star to the Right.”

I know I’m one of the few people who care, but any idea when 666 Park Avenue comes back this summer? –Erin
Lucky for you, I have a source who is one of the other few people who care, and the unconfirmed, unofficial buzz is that the remaining episodes will see the light of day starting in June, and likely on Saturday nights.

I have been waiting for Warehouse 13 to air the back half of season 4. Any scoop on what’s going to happen? –Brendan
I’m going to be honest: Not a fan of the midseason finale. It was clunky, and the cliffhanger was only slightly better than what turned out to be the Alphas finale. (Which isn’t saying much.) That said… the resolution to all that Artie/Chinese Orchid hullabaloo plays out satisfyingly when the Syfy series returns April 29. Among the teasers I can slide your way: Leena resurfaces in an interesting way (as do the likes of Dr. Calder and James Macpherson); you’ll see the warehouse like you have never seen it before; Saul Rubinek turns in a heartbreaking performance; Caprica’s Polly Walker makes quite an impression; and James Marsters is pretty damn terrific in the guest-starring role of an expert on somethingoranother, playing “drunk” in the first stretch of scenes and taking part in a Buffy shout-out that will have you rolling.

I have never asked for spoilers but I am asking in my nicest, chattering-teeth way to sink your teeth into BBC America’s Orphan Black and give your readers some info. –Jen
Wowza, that was quite the request. How about an answer to the age-old question: Will Sarah start to develop real feelings for her clone Beth’s boyfriend? “Initially, Sarah doesn’t have any sense that she’s going to stick around long in this life, so there are no ties being made to anybody in Beth’s life,” says series star Tatiana Maslany. “But the more she steps into this life, the less she’s able to get out without causing trouble. So she does start to become very linked to all the people in Beth’s life.” OK, but: Paul included? “An interesting dynamic between Paul and Sarah starts to develop,” the actress hints. “Things definitely get more complicated.”

If there’s a show you’d like the Inside Line on, email mattmtvguy@gmail.com and maybe it’ll get love the next time around! (With reporting by Vlada Gelman)